‘But of course. I’ll leave you to it.’
The Baron went out and Romero picked up the phone. ‘Hans, is that you?’
‘Who else?’ Ritter said. ‘How did it go?’
‘Perfect,’ Romero told him. ‘A superb aircraft. I couldn’t be more pleased. Tell the Admiral we’re on our way.’
Ritter knocked on the door and went in. Canaris was drinking tea, one of the dachshunds on his lap. He looked up.
‘What is it, Hans?’
‘Romero has just spoken to me from Lisbon, Herr Admiral. The Catalina is perfect and the sale will be concluded tomorrow.’
‘Excellent.’ Canaris nodded. ‘Do an additional report bringing everything up to date and I’ll make an appointment for us to see the Führer.’
‘At once, Herr Admiral.’
As Ritter limped to the door, Canaris called, ‘Oh, and Hans.’
‘Yes, Herr Admiral?’
‘We’ll take Muller with us.’
The summons came sooner than they had expected and took them to the Chancellery for an appointment at ten o’clock that night. They picked up Muller at the University on the way and the news that he was to meet the Führer shocked him completely.
When they reached the reception area of Hitler’s suite the aide on duty rose to greet them. ‘I understand you have a report for the Führer, Herr Admiral.’
‘That’s right,’ Canaris said.
The aide held out his hand. ‘He would like to read it before seeing you.’
‘Of course.’
Canaris gave him the file; the aide opened the door and went in. Canaris nodded to the other two and they sat down.
Muller was trembling slightly and Canaris said, ‘Are you all right?’
‘For God’s sake, how do you expect me to feel, Admiral. This is the Führer we’re talking about. What do I say?’
‘As little as possible,’ Canaris told him and added with some irony, ‘Remember he’s a great man and behave accordingly.’
The door opened and the aide appeared. ‘Gentlemen, our Führer will see you now.’
The room was a place of shadows, and Hitler sat at the enormous desk with only the light of a single brass lamp. He was reading the file, closed it and looked up.
‘Still brilliant, Herr Admiral. An absolutely first-class job.’
‘Captain Ritter really deserves all the credit.’
‘No, Herr Admiral, I think after all this that Major Ritter would be more appropriate. In fact, I warn you that I could well steal him for my own staff.’
He stood up and Ritter said the obvious thing. ‘You do me too much honour, my Führer.’
Hitler came round the corner of his desk and approached Muller. ‘Professor Muller, isn’t it? An amazing discovery and you sacrifice it for the sake of the Reich.’
And Muller, shaking almost uncontrollably, said exactly the right thing. ‘For you, my Führer, for you.’
Hitler clapped him on the shoulders. ‘A great day is coming, gentlemen, the greatest in Germany’s history.’ He walked slowly away and the desk lamp threw his shadow across the huge map of the world. He stood there, arms folded. ‘You may go, gentlemen.’
Canaris nodded to the other two, jerked his head and led the way out.
Later, after dropping Muller off at the University, Canaris told the driver to take them back to Tirpitz Ufer. As they turned into a side street they came to a café on the corner, windows lighted.
Canaris leaned forward. ‘Stop here.’ He turned to Ritter. ‘A nightcap, coffee and schnapps. We’ll toast your promotion, Major.’
‘My pleasure, Herr Admiral.’
The café was almost deserted and the proprietor was overwhelmed. He ushered them to a booth by the window and hurriedly took the order. Canaris pulled out his cigarette case and proffered it to Ritter, who took one and gave him a light.
‘He was pleased,’ the Admiral said and blew out smoke. ‘Muller was a mess though. He’s not strong enough.’
‘I agree,’ Ritter said. ‘We need a professional to back him up.’
The proprietor brought coffee and schnapps on a tray and Canaris waved him away. ‘You’ll have to find somebody, an old Abwehr hand. Somebody reliable.’
‘No problem, Herr Admiral.’
‘You know this thing is so simple it could work,’ Canaris said and poured schnapps from the bottle into two glasses.
‘I agree,’ Ritter said.
Canaris nodded. ‘There’s only one problem.’
‘And what’s that, Herr Admiral?’
‘It won’t win us this coming war, my friend, nothing can do that. You see, Hans, we’re all going straight to hell, but here’s to your promotion anyway.’
He raised the glass of schnapps and drained it at a single swallow.
3
The wind, blowing across the Gulf from Africa, still carried some of the warmth of the day to Kane as he stood on the deck of the launch, listening.
There was no moon and yet the sky seemed to be alive, to glow with the incandescence of millions of stars. He breathed deeply, inhaling the freshness, and followed a school of flying-fish with his eyes as they curved out of the sea in a shower of phosphorescent water.
A door opened and light from the saloon momentarily flooded out as Piroo, the Hindu deckhand, came up the companionway with a mug of steaming coffee.
Kane sipped some of it gratefully. ‘That’s good.’
‘The Kantara is late tonight, Sahib,’ Piroo said.
Kane nodded and checked his watch. ‘Almost two a.m. I wonder what the old devil O’Hara is playing at?’
‘Perhaps it’s the whisky again.’
Kane grinned. ‘More than likely.’
As he finished his coffee, Piroo touched him on the arm. ‘I think she comes, Sahib.’
Kane listened intently. At first he was conscious only of the slap of the waves against the hull of the launch and the whisper of the
